Read on if you want more specific workshop details:

WORKSHOP DESIGN

I assume you enjoy interactive learning, and you are highly motivated, having a particular event already in mind. I also ask you to commit to do 4 assigned reading and writing exercises before arriving for the workshop.  The student e-workbook will be sent to your email address in advance of the workshop so you can prepare for calls.

This design allows us all to be up-to-speed on the basics when we meet, so we can get to what’s really interesting: applying Open Space specifically where you need it.

In all workshops, I incorporate “training from the back of the room” teaching elements that keep participants actively engaged to increase presence, learning and retention.

Pre-Requisites

This workshop is a fit for you if:

1. you have attended an OpenSpace or BarCamp unconference (if you have not, ask Google to help you find one, and go, quickly!) ... and
2. you already have a particular group and event in mind, to use in the exercises.
   (alternately, make up a realitic scenario to roleplay with).  ... and
3. you commit to doing the reading/writing preparation exercises, before arriving at each call.

Content

Every class is different: topics will be covered in more or less depth depending on your level of preparation and the interests of the group. Participants are often experienced facilitators, and have a lot to offer, so I create structures that help us us learn from one another. 

When we meet, we’ll cover at least:

• What have you learned so far?Open Space concept map
• What is this “space” we speak of?
• Holding Space: the role of the facilitator.
• The importance of the invitation
• Preparing the “container” – physically and culturally
• Preparing your own script (Law, Principles, Process…)

Depending on participant interest, other likely topics include:

• When to use Open Space, and when not?
• Roleplay: is your organisation ready for Open Space?
• To document or not to document the sessions?
• How do you resist the request to intervene?
• Design a theme that attracts “the right people”
• Practice your opening (particularly for those with real projects coming up).
• Convergence: the Moving to Action step that usually gets left out.

Outcomes:

You will leave with

• a deepened understanding of the powerful "holding space" stance modeled by the OS facilitator,
• a first draft of your own facilitation script,
• a personal “next step,”
• a resource list, and
• a small network of passionate peers to collaborate with and call upon!

Sign up now to hold your place!

“I facilitated my first OpenSpace Event last week and it went really well. Several people said that they’ve been at other barcamps but that this was different in a positive way… You opened a whole new world to me… I’m happy and confident.”
— Dina Sierralta, facilitator and change agent, Germany

“I participated in Deborah’s OpenSpace Workshop in 2014. The workshop truly broadened my horizon on this topic. Deborah is a natural fit for this kind of education. She does not teach OpenSpace. She is OpenSpace!”

— Fabian Schiller, agile and scrum coach at idrivemylife.de, Germany

"Deb was instrumental in helping me deepen my understanding of opening a space (for discussion) and holding the space. Her training gave me the confidence to facilitate two AgileCoachCamps and a corporate Open Space."

— Glenn Waters, Enterprise Agility Coach and Trainer, Canada

“[This] workshop on open space helped me a lot, in tackling some tricky questions. I got a lot of valuable input from my discussions with fellow facilitators and we also benefited from Deb’s extensive experience. She suggested a well-defined agenda as a starting point, but let us decide what we wanted to work on, and to work on in depth. Finally, what I liked a lot was that she masterfully connected OST techniques with the principles and values that make OST successful.”
— Rolf F. Katzenberger, coach, facilitator and mentor at Pragmatic Teams, Germany